WEBVTT SOLEDAD: TWO MONTHS AFTERHURRICANE MARIA, PUERTO RICO ISSTILL STRUGGLING TO RECOVER.THE HURRICANE KNOCKED OUTELECTRICITY TO MILLIONS OFRESIDENTAND DEVASTATED ITSINFRASTRUCTURE.BY OUR LATEST COUNT, THE POWERGRID IS GENERATING AT 50%CAPACITY, ONE IN 10 RESIDENTSLACK RUNNING WATER, AND AT LEAST2000 ARE STILL HOMELESS.PUERTO RICO IS HOME TO 3.4MILLION AMERICANS.BY ALL REPORTS, THAT NUMBER ISIN DECLINE.NEARLY 139,000 PUERTO RICANSHAVE MOVED TO FLORIDA SINCE THEHURRICANE HIT ON SEPTEMBER 20.THIS WEEKEND, A UNITY RALLY FORPUERTO RICO WILL BE HELD HERE INWASHINGTON.IT IS INTENDED TO DRAW ATTENTIONTO WHAT MANY ACTIVISTS SAY ISUNEQUAL TREATMENT OF THOSEAFFECTED BY ACTS OF NATURE TEXAS, FLORIDA, PUERTO RICO, ANDTHE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS.EVELYN MEJIL IS THE NATIONALCHAIR OF THE EVENTIT IS SO NICE TO HAVE YOU.EVELYN: THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.SOLEDAD: YOU BET.WHAT ARE YOU MARCHING FOR?WHAT DO YOU WANT OUT OF THEMARCH?EVELYN: I THINK AT TFTHE DAY, WHAT WE WANT IS TO BETREATED WITH HUMAN DIGNITY.I THINK THE PEOPLE OF PUERTORICO ARE -- THE PEOPLE HERE THATARE PUERTO RICAN AND U.S.CIPOINT WHERE WE SAY ENOUGH ISENOUGH.IT IS TIME WE ARE TREATED WITHDIGNITY.IT IS TIME THAT WE GET THE SAMETREATMENT AS EVERYONE ELSE.AND I THINK THAT IT IS A DAY OFSOLIDARITY, WHERE WE WANT TOCOLLECTIVELY RAISE OUR VOICES ASONE, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE STANDTOGETHER FOR OUR BROTHERS ANDSISTERS IN PUERTO RICOSOLEDAD: YOU WERE BORN IN NEWYORK.YOU SPENT MUCH OF YOIN PUERTO RICOIF ONLY PUERTO RICANS COME TOTHIS MARCH, IS THAT STILL SUCCESS?EVELYN: YES, THIS IS NOT APUERTO RICAN ISSUE.THIS IS A HUMANITARIAN ISSUE.THIS IS A ALL-PEOPLE ISSUE.I THINK THAT NOW PUERTO RICANSARE FINALLY SAYING, HEY, WE NEEDTO BE PART OF THE SAMECONVERSATION THAT HAS BEENHAPPENING IN THE PAST YEARS THATWE HAVE BEEN SEEING.IT IS RECULTURE -- BLACK LIVES MATTER,THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT.SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE.PUERTO RICO IN A LOT OF WAYS ISALMOST LIKE A THIRD-WORLDCOUNTRY.IT HASN'T LEARNED TO DEVELOP TOWHAT IT IS.I MEAN, HERE YOU ARE WITH THEMOST POWERFUL NATION OF THEWORLD.YOU WOULD THINK IT WOULD BEDEVELOPED, ON MANY LEVELS -- ITSGOVERNMENT, ITS SYSTEM, ITSROADETC. WE ARE U.S. CITIZENS.YOU WOULD THINK THAT WE WOULD BEUPRIGHT?WE ARE NOT.SOLEDAD: SO, THEN, LET'S TALKABOUT STATEHOOD, BECAUSE IN THEPAST TWO REFERENDUMS, PUERTORICANS VOTED FOR -- SUPPORTSTATEHOOD.I THINK IT WAS LIKE 60-SOME-ODDPERCENT.WHAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF WEWEREN'T TALKING ABOUT ATERRITORY, BUT INSTEAD WE WERETALKING ABOUT PUERTO RICO AS ASTATE?EVELYN: I THINK IT WOULD BE VERYDIFFERENT.BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THATNUMBER, I MEAN THERE IS -- THEREWAS 61% THAT CAME OUT IN 2012 TOTALK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEYWAASOVER 500,000 PUERTO RICANS --AND YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT OVER 4MILLION PUERTO RICANS THAT AREIN THE ISLAND THAT ARE NOTCOMING OUT TO VOTE.AND YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF,WHWHY IS THAT?WHY IS IT THAT THIS IS SUCH APOOR REPRESENTATION OF THEPEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO?IS IT BECAUSE PEOPLE FEEEMPOWERED THAT WHEN THEY COMEOUT AND VOTE THAT SOMETHING ISGOING TO HAPPEN?I MEAN, AT WHAT POINT DIDCOSERIOUS CONVERSATION WITH THEPEOPLE HERE AND THE PEOPLE ONTHE MAINLAND?WILL PUERTO RICO BE INDEPENDENTOR WILL PUERTO RICO BECOME ASOLEDAD: 139,000 PEOPLE, THAHAVE BEEN COUNTED, HAVE LEFT THEISLAND AND GONE TO FLORIDAWHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUTTHAT FLOW OUT OF PUERTO RICO ANDINTO THE MAINLAND?EVELYN: I THINK IT IS THE SAMECONCERN THAT A LOT OF PEOPLEHAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT,THAT BRAIN DRAIN.THE PEOPLE THAT CONTRIBUTE TOTHE ECONOMY, THE PEOPLE THATCONTRIBUTE TO THE EDUCATIONSYSTEM, THE YOUTH THAT ARE NEXTO CREATE FAMILIES AND HAVECHILDREN, GO TO SCHOOL, ANDCREATE THE PUERTO RICO OFTOMORROW -- THOSE ARE THE PEOPLETHAT ARE LEAVING, THE PEOPLETHAT HAVE MEANS.BUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE STAYINGBEHIND, THEY ARE THE ELDERLY.THEY ARE THE ONES THAT DON'THAVE THE MEANS TO LEAVE THECOUNTRY, AND PROBABLY DON'T HATHE MEANS -- THEY ARE PROBABLYTHE ONES THAT ARE HOMELESS, NOW.THEY ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE BEENLEFT WITHOUT ANY TYPE OFSECURITY.I MEAN, THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM.WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS,WE HAVE TO QUESTION AND ASOURSELVES, IS THERE GOING TO BEA PUERTO RICO TOMORROW?SOLEDAD: EVELYN MEJIL, GOOD LUCKWITH THE MARCH.

Advocate: Puerto Rico is Like a Third World Country

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Updated: 3:03 PM EST Nov 22, 2017

Puerto Rico is still struggling to recover after Hurricane Maria made landfall two months ago. By the latest count, the power gird is operating at 50 percent capacity, one in ten residents are without running water and at least 2,000 citizens are homeless. Since the disaster, over 139,000 have fled to Florida, causing a brain drain. What does the future look like for the island? Evelyn Mejil, organizer of this weekend’s Unity March for Puerto Rico in Washington, D.C., joins Soledad O’Brien to discuss Puerto Rico’s future, how Puerto Rico is like a third world country and the dangerous possibilities of the brain drain.